Truck crash sends four to hospital, spills battery acid

A truck carrying a load of batteries caused quite a cleanup problem Friday night after it was in an accident near Hampshire that sent four people to the hospital.

The Kane County Sheriff's Department said a truck transporting 43,000 pounds of batteries was traveling south on Route 47 at about 3:45 p.m. Friday when it collided with a minivan headed west on Big Timber Road.

After the crash, the truck tipped over, spilling not only batteries but battery acid on the pavement and surrounding area, said department spokesman Lt. Pat Gengler. He said it was unclear how long the road would remain closed while the chemical spill was cleared, but officials expected it to remain closed throughout Friday night.

The driver of the minivan, Mayra Cecilia Guzman, 23, of 2651 Fallbrook Drive, Hampshire, was nearly nine months pregnant and transported to Provena St. Joseph's Hospital in Elgin where she remained Friday night with nonlife-threatening injuries, Gengler said. Her two children, aged 4 and 1, were treated at the hospital and released.

The driver of the truck, Tony J. Bauer, 38, of Durand, Wis., was also taken to the hospital and admitted.